Man Claims Pandas Aren’t Real. Do Scientists Really Back Up His Claim?

In the modern era, the giant panda is synonymous with China.

This is for good reason. The bear is only found in China. As a result, the country frequently uses it in advertising and as a form of soft power. The term “panda diplomacy” has even emerged to describe how the country uses pandas to build relationships and foster understanding.

Given that the bear is only found in China, one might think that the country’s associations with the animal go back millennia. However, the truth is actually a bit more complicated. In fact, according to some, there’s barely any record of pandas in China until around 200 years ago. But is this really true?

Are Pandas Real?

The ‘Veritas Project’ describes themselves as “a group of Paranormal researchers with a emphasis on science.” In a recent episode of their podcast, a clip of which they shared to TikTok, the group discussed a theory that pandas as we know them do not exist in the historical record.

According to the clip, one of the hosts recently joined a TikTok Live conversation between two scientists. The scientists, the host says, were discussing a theory that “pandas aren’t real.”

“[In the] 1860s, when they were discovered, some guy discovered a panda, and then he brought it to the Chinese government and was like, ‘Hey, I found this thing in the woods,’ and they’re like, ‘That thing doesn’t exist. Somebody must be pulling your leg,’” the TikToker says.

The TikToker then notes that, despite having a considerable amount of art throughout history, there do not appear to be depictions of pandas.

In fact, he claims that the panda only became known to the Western world after “a European explorer cruising through the bamboo forest…found some native person who lived there, and they had a panda pelt.”

Is This True?

The claims in this video are a mix of fact and fiction—leaning heavily on the fiction.

First, it is true that pandas were not known to the Western world until relatively late. In 1869, a French Jesuit named Armand David received a panda pelt from a hunter. This sparked interest in the animal globally.

However, this discovery was not met with surprise from the Chinese government, as the TikToker claims.

What is true is that specific references to pandas in the historical record are surprisingly limited. That said, just because they are limited, that does not mean that they do not exist at all. Historians have noted numerous references to pandas throughout time, though confusion about names and terminology means that some of these references are uncertain.

Additionally, while we now regard the panda as special, there’s no reason to believe that ancient peoples saw the need to distinguish it considerably from other bear species.

Some theorists speculate that ancient peoples were well aware of pandas and even wrote about them; however, they simply categorized them along with other bears. Consequently, bears like the Qinling panda, which is brown and white, would have simply been mentioned along with other brown bears native to China. This makes parsing the historical record of pandas a bit difficult.

Furthermore, there are confirmed interactions between humans and pandas from much earlier than the modern era. For example, archeologists discovered a panda skeleton in the tomb of Emperor Wen of Han, who died in 157 BCE. Additional panda body parts have been found in other tombs.

In summary, pandas are not a modern invention, and there’s plenty of evidence of pandas going back centuries—even if it is less evidence than one might expect.

Commenters Aren’t Buying It

In the comments section, users expressed skepticism about the claim that pandas did not exist in the historical record.

“OK. I’m updating my notes: birds aren’t real, dinosaurs are dragons, dolphins are aliens, mermaids are real. Bigfoot is real, pandas are not real… Did I get all that right?” joked a user.

“I saw pandas years ago at the zoo in Washington DC. My brother and I sat there for at least 20 min watching them. They were definitely real lol,” said another.

“Even till this day new animals are being discovered, so the ‘well we have no record of one’ isn’t a valid argument,” shared a third.

BroBible reached out to The Veritas Project via email.